


Til death do us part

by emotionalsupporthufflepuff



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood and Injury, Character Death, Dead People, Gen, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, I Made Myself Cry, Mystery, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 15:57:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21121418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emotionalsupporthufflepuff/pseuds/emotionalsupporthufflepuff
Summary: Sometimes when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, the departed reach out to us.Written for Hedwigs Nook, Halloween prompt In The Dark Mark facebook group





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all  
Hedwigs Nook is a pg-13 writing group. The beginning might seem to toe that line but I promise it doesn't go any further than that. Mind the tags please but other than that, enjoy.

**PART ONE **

The wind rustled the tops of the tree of the Forbidden Forest in a bitter autumn breeze. Sunset had faded leaving the twilight sky a deep purple dotted with the first stars. The air buzzed with Halloween magic. Astoria couldn’t feel the wind yet but she could feel the ground beneath her feet getting more solid and floating just above the ground was no longer an option. 

The girl on the ground at her feet gave a final shuddering breath. The blood that trickled from her temple pushed its way over the leaves and into the soil. Her dark eyes looked skyward seeing nothing. Astoria worried briefly that this girl would not be able to move beyond the veil like her, and if she would spend her second chance at life being haunted by a teenager. 

It would still be worth it.

Another huge gust of wind made her shiver which made her want to squeal with excitement. She could feel the wind and the cold, she had a physical reaction to the elements. The smell of snow rolling in on the horizon filled her finally inflating lungs and she breathed in so deep she coughed on the exhale. A clod of dirt she supposed had been left from when she’d been buried landed in her hand. Dropping it in disgust, she saw on the other side of her hand the shimmer of the wedding band on her ring finger. Leaves shifted and crunched underneath her bare feet and the thin white gown offered no protection from the temperature. It didn’t matter, she could change soon, she had done it.

Astoria Malfoy was alive again. 

When Draco had taken up the potion’s professor opening at Hogwarts, he’d brought her wand displayed on a stand, giving her the power and reason to manifest in the castle. She watched him unseen in the shadows afraid to make herself known for hoping he would move on. Year after year she hoped to see him settled down and start a family with someone new but he never did. He would teach for the school year, disappear for the summer and come back unchanged.

This year Daphne, her sister, had come to the school as the Divination professor with sadness still etched upon her delicate features, her normally charmed blonde hair darkened slightly with age and lack of magic. In the evenings she laid out tarot cards in large complicated spreads, looking for answers that never came. So far, Daphne had rarely left her tower except for visit with Draco sometimes in the evenings.

Astoria had known then what she had to do. She would have never been so callous in life but death was relentlessly cruel and had hardened her non-beating heart. 

It had been so easy to befriend the girl who had been a loner in life. So easy to lure her out to the forest, wandless with her guard down. She had probably thought Astoria wasn’t a threat because she wasn’t solid but people so often forgot Astoria was sorted into Slytherin. She was cunning and ruthless when she needed to be. Draco needed her to be, Daphne needed her to be.

She knew that tree branch would fall at any moment, that it was thick enough to crush anyone standing underneath it. It would look like an accident.

She thought it over and over again as the girl's life essence drained into her, chanting the incantation found in the restricted section of the library. 

The wind whipped violently again, ripping the few remaining leaves from the trees, pushing around the brush from the forest floor. Her hair lifted from her shoulders and her muscles pushed her face into a smile. Trying out her voice for the first time in years she whispered: “ I’m coming, my love.” 

The students were all in their dormitories, full from the Halloween feast but still throwing parties to celebrate the holiday. By now any of those brave enough to wander out were probably intoxicated and wouldn’t report a stranger for fear of being accused of lying and facing their own repercussions. 

Practiced footsteps from her own time lead her right to the quarters where the Head of Slytherin house resided in the dungeons. She’d see Draco first then her sister and they would both be elated, it was hard to keep from sprinting to them.

To her surprise, the heavy oak door was unlocked. Reveling in the cool to the touch metal handle and her muscles engaging around her bones to push the door open ( instead of just floating through) she grinned again, opening the door with great flourish.

The office was empty. His outer winter cloak was draped over the back of the chair and there were a few pictures in frames on the large, mahogany wood desk but there were no signs of life beyond that. Her wand sat in its display case on the corner opposite the pictures. The glass came up easily and she lifted the white cherry wood wand from its holders.

A noise came from the bedroom as Astoria turned her attention to it. Reaching for the handle she thought for a moment she should knock, but this was her husband, there were no secrets from each other. She pulled the door open.

Daphne and Draco we’re locked in a searing kiss of passion, eyes tight shut still yet oblivious to the intruder. Draco started to move down to Daphne's jawline and tilted her neck to him. Eyes fluttering open Daphne looked at Astoria for a few seconds before screaming in terror. Draco jolted way and snapped his eyes to where Daphne was staring. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Tears rolled down Daphne’s face.” Astoria...you can’t be…”

“Who are you?!” Draco yelled pulling out his wand and pointing it at her right between the eyes. “ What do you want?!” 

Daphne clutched at Draco's outstretched arm, sobbing. “ It’s her Draco, look, it has to be her. That’s what she was buried in, and look, look at her ring. “ As her sister leaned forward Astoria could see where her shirt had started to be unbuttoned and her bra peeked through. Comprehension rushed over Astoria with a sickening crash. 

Draco didn’t lower his wand. “That’s impossible Daph, Astoria is dead. You were there, they put her in the ground. WHO ARE YOU?!” His whole body shook as he screamed the last part.

She looked at him with her head tilted to the side in thought. “ It’s me' Draco, your wife.”

“ I don’t have a bloody wife-”

“ Look at me. Who else would I be?” She twisted off her wedding ring and held it out to him at arm's length. Without dropping his wand he took them in his palm and passed them to Daphne without breaking eye contact. “There should be an inscription on the inside.” 

“ It says “ 2/ 2/ 133” what does that mean?”

Astoria moved towards the pair not breaking eye contact with Draco “ Act 2, scene 2, line 133. My bounty as boundless as the sea, my love as deep the more I give to thee, the more I have for both are infinite.”

He dropped his wand. “ Astoria. I don’t -”

“ No, now it's time you answer my questions.” She spoke loudly and clearly and her voice rolled through the room with an unearthly quality. “ What did I walk in on ?”

It was only at that moment the two realized their disheveled state. Daphne pulled her shirt in around herself and Draco ran his fingers through his hair.

He swallowed hard and his slate grey eyes dropped from her blue for the first time. “You’ve been dead a long time ‘Tori. “

“ My sister though…” Astoria turned her steely gaze to Daphne. “How could you sleep with my husband?”

“You’re not understanding .” Daphne’s eyes were wide with fear “ You are dead. Til’ death do us part right? Well, that’s what happened. Draco...he was the only person who still couldn’t let you go like me…”

" Is that why you took the teaching job? So you could have my husband Daphne?"

" He's not your husband Astoria !"

Rage rampaged its way through Astoria's veins, her features contorting as her wand lurched forward with a flash of bright green light. 

Daphne dropped to the floor as Draco yelled something she couldn't understand over her heart beating in her ears. Astoria bared her teeth and pointed her wand at Draco. 

Tossing his wand on the bed and turning to her with his hands held up, she could see where there was a rim of pink around his bloodshot eyes but no tears actually came down. 

" Death has made you cruel Astoria and that's not who you were in life. That's not who I married. " He glanced down at Daphne. " I think she's still alive because you didn't mean it. You would never murder anyone like that. " 

"You're right. Death has made me...cold...it's so cold Draco. There are no words to describe it. It's just cold and emptiness and it never stops. I killed a student in the woods to come back to you." Real tears streamed down her face. " I stole another's life, so we can be together again. " 

Draco sucked in a breath at her confession. " You...you killed a child 'Tori? To...to come back?" 

" YOU NEEDED ME! " she screamed, her words vibrating through the very stones in the floor. It might have just been her imagination but she swore the whole castle shook with the sound" I STAYED FOR YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" 

" I loved you too Astoria," he said simply, hands still held high near his face. Daphne groaned and turned on the floor. " You're right, I do need to let you go. " 

The heavy oak door swung open with the force of several other teachers pushing through it. When they took in the scene, all they saw was Draco Malfoy, wandless with his hands up looking at the opposite wall and Daphne Greengrass getting to her feet, very much alive. 

There was no sign of Astoria and her wand was missing from its spot on the desk.


	2. Part 2

**Part two **

Minerva McGonagall had been teaching for so long, she often thought her mind played tricks on her. Time made fools of us all at some point, she thought, but she was not so far gone yet that she had to retire. Giving her head a sharp shake she redoubled her efforts to focus. 

For the slightest moment in time it was like eleven-year-old Draco Malfoy was telling her there was a dragon in Hagrid’s hut again and first-year Daphne Greengrass was wondering if she could change houses if her younger sister was sorted into another; The things they were saying sounded so ridiculous.

“Start from the beginning.” McGonagall took the seat behind Malfoy’s desk. She was old and had run the school long enough no one dared to question this. “ The students heard a woman scream “ her eyes flicked over the scene of teachers raising eyebrows at each other “in terror and came down to see what had happened. They were unable to hear anything else or get the door open so they gave up until they heard another scream that sounded like a woman’s voice threatening you. As a matter of fact, I heard something all the way up in my office. Who screamed the first time?”

“ I did,” Daphne answered.

“Why?”

“Astoria was here, pointing her wand at us.”

McGonagall sighed. “ I know to lose your sister so young must have been difficult, but Astoria Malfoy died some years ago. Was it a ghost and perhaps it just looked like she was holding a wand?”

Draco shook his head and spoke up this time. “ It was her wand.” He tapped on the empty glass case. “ I kept it, right here. It was white, cherry wood, unicorn hair 9 and ½ inches long, if...if something that description should come up. “

McGonagall shrugged her cowl over her shoulders a little tighter “ Perhaps one of your students took it as a Halloween prank. “

He shook his head again. “ The glass was warded with old spells similar to those at Malfoy manor. I should have been the only one, only one alive, with the ability to open it. " 

The head of Ravenclaw house spoke up from where she leaned on the wall in the corner. "What about the second scream, the one we could all hear? " 

" That was Astoria. " Draco whispered and swallowed. " She was furious, that's when she attacked Daphne, then I admitted that I needed to let her go ...and she was gone. " He stood up straight looking suddenly panicked " We need to check the forest, a student might be hurt out there, or worse. Take attendance in your houses we can figure it out who were looking for faster. " 

" What's he going on about?"

" The forest? They'll freeze to death by the time we find them."

“Former Death Eater becomes Head of Slytherin and students start going missing. It seems suspicious to me.” 

" Did...did she tell you that Mr. Malfoy? Did Astoria tell you there was a student hurt in the Forbidden forest?" McGonagall asked in a falsely placating tone. 

Anger washed over his features and the old aristocratic sneer took its place. " Yes, she did as a matter of fact. As head of my house, I'm not going to take any chances on any of my students missing. Daph…stay with me...just in case…"

He strode out the room closely followed by Daphne and slammed the heavy door behind him.

None of the students were missing. Well, none that couldn’t be accounted for by friends admitting they were out after hours, that the heads could tell. As the other teachers scoured every corner of the castle grounds for students and there late night wandering, rounding them up and sending them back to the common room. Headmistress McGonagall turned to Draco and Daphne. 

“While the thought of a murderous ghost loose on the castle disturbs me, I must admit I’m at a loss at what to do next, having no sign of danger or the actual ghost. Do you two have suggestions?” 

“She wasn’t a ghost, Minerva! She was so real, so solid and wearing what she was buried in, not what she died in and I’ve never seen a ghost be able to do that because they choose at the time of death, don’t they?” Daphne folded her arms over herself pulling her robes in tight, trying to shield herself from the bitter cold floating in from the gathering snow outside.

McGonagall shrugged, unphased by the other witches’ panic. “ I don’t know. I’ve never died and I’ve never thought to ask. All of our Hogwarts ghosts chose to stay here to help future generations of witches and wizards, none of them stayed for… well, whatever it is you claim was wanted from the both of you. “ 

Draco’s head snapped up from the spot he was staring at the floor. 

“One did. One stayed for revenge, so she could haunt another student, she might help us. “

****   
  


Robes trailed through the ankle-deep puddles of water that were a permanent feature in this particular bathroom. The sound of trailing water from yet another shattered sink and wet footsteps on stone echoed loudly through the silent walls. A rattling noise from a pipe overhead made them all look up.

Draco was the only one who spoke. 

“Myrtle.”

The rattling noise happened again.

“Myrtle, can I speak to you?”

A sharp wailing noise came from all the pipes at once and everyone cringed, plugging their ears. From the right, a toilet made an angry regurgitating noise and the cubicle door slammed open. The ghost of a girl with thick spectacles, long low hanging pigtails, and a sour expression emerged. 

“Oh, now he wants to talk to me. “ Moaning Myrtle spat, her high pitched voice ricocheting off the walls like shrapnel. “Now he wants to be my friend again. Well, I don’t want to, I won’t be suckered in anymore Draco Malfoy.”

Draco just smirked at her. “More’s the pity, I thought I was going to need an assistant to help me look out for cheaters during exams. Oh well.” Myrtle cocked her head in thought and tapped her finger together but didn’t respond. Draco pressed on “Did you get new glasses? No, you couldn’t have ...it must be the moonlight making your eyes look so big.” Myrtle let out high peels of laughter and turned slightly more opaque in the ghost version of blushing. 

Daphne coughed and mumbled, “ Are we standing in toilet water just to watch you flirt with Moaning Myrtle?”

He threw her a sharp look over his shoulder and turned back to the teenage ghost. 

“Anyway, I need to ask a few questions, Myrtle. Have you seen anything strange today, any new ghosts or students behaving like they shouldn’t? “

Myrtle dropped her giggly facade and rolled her eyes. “She finally made herself known, did she? She’s been stalking you two for ages but never coming out to say hello.” She scratched absently at her chin “ I said to her, there's no going back, you might as well accept it but she would just cry and say “ He needs me, she needs me. It was too soon and I said: “ you want to talk about too soon I was only- “

“What did she look like?” Daphne asked cutting her off.

Myrtle threw her a dirty look. “ Like you but prettier. Petite, long dark hair, this ridiculous wedding ring that could be used to just -” she made a clunking noise with her tongue and a bashing motion. 

The 3 living people looked at each other. Myrtle watched them with great interest. “Why...what happened?”

“She came back...well she tried to come back...she was real, very real and then she disappeared. She may have hurt a student, I don’t know. How...how long has she been here?” Draco ran a hand through his hair pushing it out of his face. 

“Since you took the Potions job. So she _ is  _ yours.” Myrtle whispered. “ I thought she was lying.” She sighed her voice returned to its crisp high pitched ring. “ Well, she can’t stay that strong anyway. Halloween you know...the veil is at its thinnest.”

“What do you mean?"

" Well, when I died I blamed Olive Hornby for my death. Still do. Olive held onto the terrible memory of finding my dead body for the rest of her life, giving me the power to be this way. I used to be able to leave the castle to torment her, but after the ministry made me stay here...and my parents passed on...and Olive and all my other classmates...well…” She made a sad whimpering noise. “ I don’t have a sister who spends all her spare time trying to get answers from the beyond.” Daphne narrowed her eyes at Myrtle. “Or a handsome husband to keep my wand, a very powerful and personal source of magic, safe from harm. “ Myrtle tilted her head to one side and whispered “ Unfortunately, Love ...revenge ...longing...all those things the living do...that can change.

“And she just happened to choose Halloween because the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest? It doesn’t sound benign to me. ” Daphne snapped. It was becoming clear the two had a strong distrust in each other.

“Probably not,” Myrtle admitted, chuckling and floating away.

McGonagall sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “ I think it’s best if you two left the school for now. We’ll find temporary replacements if we must, but now that we do have confirmation that you are being stalked by…” she sighed again “ The students…”

The other teachers nodded in agreement and exchanged worried looks.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,  
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
> 
> Romeo And Juliet Act 2, scene 2, 176–185

Draco and Daphne floo’ed directly into the dark and empty Malfoy Manor. It was not snowing this far south but the grounds we’re covered in a sheet of frost and the full moon reflected off it and through the floor to ceiling windows in the main living area. With an agitated flick of his wand, Draco lit a fire in the large grate behind them. 

“You can stay in any guest room you’d like. All of the house-elves will accommodate anything you need.” He said looking at the flames and not even glancing in her direction. 

“Draco-”

“What do you want me to say, Daphne? That I wish you wouldn’t have tried to contact her? That would be a lie and you know it. You want me to tell you how to let her go? I wish I knew but I don’t. Clearly. “ He wouldn’t look at her and instead stared ahead into the burning grate. 

“What I was going to say is,” Daphne spoke quickly, stealing her courage in her words. Her sapphire eyes searched his profile while she took a deep breath, “ Do you want to do this together? You and I...move on...let her go… as one. I can’t...I can’t do it alone.”

Draco turned to look at the blonde woman, her face shifted with each flicker of the fire as fear and longing contorted her features from her usual stone-cold demeanor. Shifting his weight nervously he finally answered. “ I think we need to do it as individuals before we can be together anymore. I think -” he paused turning away unable to look at her heartbroken face any longer “ Together it’s too dangerous. We give her too much power. People have lost their lives because of me before and I won’t let it happen again. I ...I need to go...I’ll see you in the morning. “ And he turned the opposite direction of the fireplace and disappeared into the cavernous depths of the house. 

As soon as she knew she was alone, Daphne Greengrass, pureblood bred and heir to a massive family fortune, trained to never show emotion, broke down into sobs. She crossed her arms over her chest trying to keep the sobs from racking her whole body as they threaten to do. Feeling utterly alone in the world she considered just going back to Hogwarts, getting her things and taking off for a new life somewhere else. Maybe America, or somewhere where she could forget...

Soft footfalls echoed through the empty house. Not the sharp tap of leather on marble, but the soft scuffling of bare feet. The flames guttered for a few seconds but held fast.

“He doesn’t want you, because he can have me again.” Astoria’s voice was high and cruel, sounding even more unearthly than it had earlier that night. 

“Why are you doing this ‘Tori? Why couldn’t you have just left us in peace?” Daphne choked through thick sobs.

“Because no one was at peace! Not one of us! You are my sister and I love you, so I did this for you! To see you happy!” the dark haired witch screamed and brandished her wand again. Daphne pulled out her own wand mumbled a quick  _ Protego  _ and set up a shield to protect herself from her sister's anger again. 

Realization dawned on her like the Knight bus speeding toward her on a busy street. It took her breath away and at the same time strengthen her resolve even more. 

“I think...I think we’ve moved on more than we realized. He tried to keep me safe from you, he’s still trying, even now. It’s just...hard...hard to say you’ve moved on, to admit it to yourself and others. “ Daphne blinked off a few tears from her blonde lashes. “ I think I love him. Let me love him Astoria, I’ll take care of him for you...just leave us in peace...please.”

Astoria approached her slowly and calmly, with luminescent tears sliding down her colorless cheeks. “ Let him take care of you too Daphne. I love you.”

A great heaving sob came over her and Daphne dropped the shield to wipe at her eyes with her sleeves. By the time her vision cleared, Astoria was gone. 

  
  


The heavy study curtains were drawn shut blocking out the moonlight and the only light source was a few candles lit on the ornate holders on the desk. He hadn’t even bothered to light the fireplace in this room. Above the mantle was a large framed black and white picture of them on their wedding day, waltzing against the monochrome sunset for all eternity. Draco brought the whiskey tumbler to his lips again, when the candles in the holders in front of him flickered and the curtains lifted from their stationary position for a second.

He knew who it was before she even spoke.

“Astoria. You’re back.” 

She tapped her wand against her thigh, agitated. The moonlight seemed to glow right through her and her pale skin and white dress made her look even less solid. Her dark hair was thrown in front of her shoulder where she tugged at it irritably. 

“ You should be happier to see me. Didn’t you miss me?” her voice, while still clear, had an echoing bell-like quality to it. 

He drained the tumbler before answering. “ I miss the person you were. I miss who you were in life.” He gestured to the wedding picture. “ That’s what I miss. I don’t know who you are. You aren’t the woman I married.” 

Astoria sighed “ Not this again. I’ve already proven that it’s me. Draco I don’t understand what the problem is. We can be together again. “

He shook his head. “The Astoria I married wouldn’t hurt anyone like you claimed to hurt that student or like what you did to Daphne. The witch I married cared for me at my lowest and never wavered. She never gave in, even when the darkness threatened to consume her." 

"But you haven't let me go. You haven't let yourself be happy with Daphne. " Astoria's voice was a mournful song. "So I took another's life for you, my love." 

“No, I didn’t, and I’m afraid like so many things, that is my fault too. “ He tilted his head to the ceiling and squeezed his eyes shut.

“  My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep, the more I give to thee ,  the more I have, for both are infinite.” she held out her hand and he took it, she leaned in a put her head on his chest. 

“ Do you remember Romeo’s next line?” he murmured it into her hair. She smelled like wet earth and trees.

“No.” she sighed and leaned into him.

“ O blessèd, blessèd night...I am afeard, being in night, all this is but a dream, too flattering sweet to be substantial.” He slipped the wand from her relaxed hand and lit a fire in the fireplace with it.

“Draco?” Astoria pushed herself off his chest to stare back at him. The firelight shone through her as she became more and more transparent. Trembling, he threw the wand into the fire. 

She was gone without another sound. 

When the dawn broke, the 7th year girl came wandering out of the Forbidden Forest, battered, bruised and cold but alive. When questioned about how she ended up out there she said she said all she remembered was passing close by and hearing a woman crying, so she went to see what the problem was. 


End file.
